After 3 plane flights and over 40+ hours of travel our team arrived safely in the Philippines Monday evening. Praise God for the many answered prayers throughout our travels. All the luggage arrived on time, we had no delays, and turbulence was minimal.
Tuesday was our first day at the Word of Life Seaside Camp. We enjoyed devotions with the Filipino volunteers (whom we will be working with for the next two weeks) and a time of team bonding. This included swimming in the ocean, as well as playing basketball and volleyball. We also engaged in several "ice breaker" type activities to help us learn the names of the Filipino volunteers. In addition to these camp activities, our group traveled to a local market. This was a great opportunity to see how the Filipino live day to day, to help us better connect with them as they come to the Word of Life Camp later in the week. It also provided us with a variety of new smells and sights includeing a strong fish smell and lots of machetes. In the evening we went fishing in the ocean with the Filipino volunteers. This was another interesting experience as they helped to introduce us to even more of their culture, despite pouring rain and lightning.
Today we began our ministry. We traveled to Talakag where we conducted a basketball tournament for several teams composed of kids under 18. This was a great opportunity for us to share the gospel. Many of the people here come from a Catholic background, so they don't understand that Jesus' death is all they need. In our team debriefing this evening Lizzie shared how she asked several of the girls if they were Christians. They said "yes," but when asked if they would go to heaven after they died, they said "no." This reflects a lot of the spiritual circumstance we are coming into. At the event, our team also performed a gospel skit and shared a testimony. The skit depicts the gospel through a simple sticky situation. One individual comes up to a chair and sits in it, but can't get out when they try to stand up. This depicts sin. The only way we can get out of it is with Jesus. Other team members come up, and try to help out. Some with technology, some with brains, and some with strength. Yet all of these people get stuck to the chair as well. Eventually we have a figure walk up to help with a Bible. This figure helps to release all the members from the chair, showing that we can only escape sin through God's love for us. As some of us later found out, the skit had an impact on many of the kids there, and successfully communicated the story of how God has redeemed us. Through our time at the tournament we were able to meet in small groups with the kids to again share the gospel. I also had the opportunity to share my testimony, which included God's story of redemption through the verse John 3:16. Praise God for the many opportunities we had today to share the gospel.
An additional praise shared at our evening meeting was the fun van environment on our hour drive to and from the tournament today. We were completely mixed with the Filipino volunteers, yet the atmospheres in both vans were filled with singing, jokes, and laughter.
For tomorrow please pray for safety and teamwork as we conduct a work project here at the camp, as well as good connections with the people we encounter at a basketball tournament tomorrow evening. Please also pray for Eli as he shares his testimony at tomorrow's tournament.
Nathan Whitley and the Philippines Team
Tuesday was our first day at the Word of Life Seaside Camp. We enjoyed devotions with the Filipino volunteers (whom we will be working with for the next two weeks) and a time of team bonding. This included swimming in the ocean, as well as playing basketball and volleyball. We also engaged in several "ice breaker" type activities to help us learn the names of the Filipino volunteers. In addition to these camp activities, our group traveled to a local market. This was a great opportunity to see how the Filipino live day to day, to help us better connect with them as they come to the Word of Life Camp later in the week. It also provided us with a variety of new smells and sights includeing a strong fish smell and lots of machetes. In the evening we went fishing in the ocean with the Filipino volunteers. This was another interesting experience as they helped to introduce us to even more of their culture, despite pouring rain and lightning.
Today we began our ministry. We traveled to Talakag where we conducted a basketball tournament for several teams composed of kids under 18. This was a great opportunity for us to share the gospel. Many of the people here come from a Catholic background, so they don't understand that Jesus' death is all they need. In our team debriefing this evening Lizzie shared how she asked several of the girls if they were Christians. They said "yes," but when asked if they would go to heaven after they died, they said "no." This reflects a lot of the spiritual circumstance we are coming into. At the event, our team also performed a gospel skit and shared a testimony. The skit depicts the gospel through a simple sticky situation. One individual comes up to a chair and sits in it, but can't get out when they try to stand up. This depicts sin. The only way we can get out of it is with Jesus. Other team members come up, and try to help out. Some with technology, some with brains, and some with strength. Yet all of these people get stuck to the chair as well. Eventually we have a figure walk up to help with a Bible. This figure helps to release all the members from the chair, showing that we can only escape sin through God's love for us. As some of us later found out, the skit had an impact on many of the kids there, and successfully communicated the story of how God has redeemed us. Through our time at the tournament we were able to meet in small groups with the kids to again share the gospel. I also had the opportunity to share my testimony, which included God's story of redemption through the verse John 3:16. Praise God for the many opportunities we had today to share the gospel.
An additional praise shared at our evening meeting was the fun van environment on our hour drive to and from the tournament today. We were completely mixed with the Filipino volunteers, yet the atmospheres in both vans were filled with singing, jokes, and laughter.
For tomorrow please pray for safety and teamwork as we conduct a work project here at the camp, as well as good connections with the people we encounter at a basketball tournament tomorrow evening. Please also pray for Eli as he shares his testimony at tomorrow's tournament.
Nathan Whitley and the Philippines Team
Fantastic! Praying for you all.